Fighting for Survival
by Seleceana
Summary: 14 year old Dave Strider and his 6 year old sister Rose are taken into foster care by the Makara family. As the Strider-LaLonde siblings try to adjust to a new home, school, and family, 15 year old Gamzee Makara struggles to cope with his brother's abuse and his own addictions. Rated M for language, violence, abuse, and drug use. Humanstuck.
1. Rainy Days Aren't So Bad, Right?

Dave Strider held the small purple umbrella over his younger sister and tried to ignore the freezing rain that battered his right side. It was better that she stayed dry so she didn't get sick. Dave looked down at Rose and fought a smile. Even though they had different fathers, they looked almost identical. Both of them had silver-blonde hair and clear, pale skin. Their matching eyebrows were thin and symmetrical, and they both had that semi-lopsided smile that could win over any argument. He could already tell Rose would be the sarcastic type, not unlike himself, and breathtakingly beautiful when she got older. Dave knew he'd wind up being over protective, but for now that was a good thing. The loud slam of a car trunk closing brought Dave back to reality.

"So this is your new place, kid. Least for now. Damn, you got off lucky. Rich folk." Mr. Spades smiled and ruffled Dave's hair before picking up a red suitcase and two small pink bags. "I got your stuff for ya. No problem. Really kid, you're gonna love it here, I promise."

"Yeah, well, we'll see." Dave replied nonchalantly. Though his tone carried an I-Don't-Really-Care attitude, his heart was beating like he had run a marathon, and it was becoming difficult to breathe. This happened every time they switched houses. Foster care was tough, spontaneous, and Dave found it difficult to cope with it. Being pulled out of a home without warning, then shoved into a new one whether it was good or bad. Some had perverted grandpas that liked little girls; some had drunk assholes that screamed at their wives. Not all were bad, of course, but he could never be too careful or too prepared. He had a sister to protect, and she was _going_ to be protected. Dave used his free hand to hold Rose's tiny one, being as gentle as he could. _No need to scare her_, he thought.

As he followed Mr. Slick up to the front steps, he looked up at the giant house. Well, if you could call it a house. _This place is like a house-mansion crossover. Godzilla uses this place as a dollhouse. It's like the writers of Scooby Doo came in and hired a shit ton of architects to built their creepy haunted houses, modern-style. Très magnifique. _All joking aside, he had to admit it was impressive. It was at least three stories, and was a brilliant white with a royal purple trim around the windows, door, and edge of the roof. The lawn was bright green with flowers along the sides of the house, and there were two large oak trees on either side of the walkway. A medium sized wooden porch welcomed people to the large front door, and was easily visible from the circle driveway. It all looked clean, even though the overcast sky and heavy rain brought a layer of filth to everything under it. Once they reached the front door, Mr. Slick lightly tapped the doorbell. Instead of a normal chime, an odd honk sound could be heard from inside. Rose giggled.

The door opened to reveal a tall man with shoulder-length, messy black hair and a giant smile. The corner of his eyes had laugh lines, and he was well toned but not overly buff. He was wearing a black suit with a purple tie and purple cuffs, as well as shining black shoes with purple laces. There was a thick gold watch on his wrist, and a small scar on his cheek. His skin wasn't too dark, but he was definitely Hispanic to some degree. At closer inspection, Dave thought his dark brown eyes seemed to have small traces of purple in them (though whether this was a reflection from his clothing or his actual eye colour was uncertain).

"You must be Dave and Rose! Welcome!" The large guy said, holding out his hand. Dave released Rose's hand to shake with the big guy, a small "sup" escaping his lips. His hand was almost crushed by the older man's strength.

"Hello Mr. Slick! I'll take the bags from here, it's ok. Why don't you kids go on inside? BOYS, COME ON DOWN!"

Dave took Rose's hand again and carefully led her inside while the big guy and Mr. Slick talked. The interior of the house wasn't too surprising, considering the fantastic exterior. A large foyer with wooden flooring greeted the kids. Directly across from the front door stood a slightly curved staircase with carpeted steps. The carpet was bright white, and the railing was the same dark purple that seemed to appear everywhere. To the left of the staircase, a narrow hallway went down to what Dave assumed was the kitchen, considering the banging and clanging coming from that direction, usually followed by a shout of some sort. To the right was a living room type area. It had a large flat screen T.V., a purple sofa, and two fluffy white chairs. In between the chairs and T.V. sat a wooden coffee table with a glass top. It seemed more like it would be used for office parties than family time. _They don't seem like the super bowl Sunday type, but whatever floats their yacht I guess. _Two sets of feet coming down the stair caught Dave's attention. One- THUMP THUMP THUMP! Two- Tap Tap Tap. As he looked up, he saw two boys trotting down the steps.

The first one, apparently the louder one, seemed about 15 years old. His dark hair looked almost black, and it almost covered his eyes in it's tangled mess. He was wearing a black shirt with some rock group on it, and faded black jeans that were a size too big. His skin matched that of the man who answered the door. As he came down the steps, he stared at his feet like they were a new animal species, and a pair of over-the-ear headphones bounces against his neck.

The second one had much more grace. He seemed to be in his late teens- 17 or 18- and held his head high as he came down the steps. He wore a fitting long sleeved black V-neck, and a pair of dark purple skinny jeans. He had a gold eyebrow ring that flashed as he moved, reflecting light like a mirror. His hair, although messy, framed his face. It was obvious that he was from an upper class family.

But what caught Dave's attention most was the makeup they both wore. Their faces were painted white, with gray outlining certain parts. For the younger, the gray surrounded his eyes and mouth, with thin triangles over his cheeks. For the older, the gray covered his cheeks in larger triangles, complimenting his strong cheekbones, and was in a mask-style around his eyes.

"Heeeeeeeeeey! You're the motherfucking new kids! I'm Gamzee," the younger scratched out. After a warning glance from Dave and a quick throat-clearing from the older kid, Gamzee smiled and muttered an almost non-understandable apology about cussing in front of Rose. He was quickly shoved out of the way by the older- and taller- boy.

"Kurloz. Kurloz Makara," he said with a whispery voice, holding out his hand. "This is my younger brother Gamzee Makara. We welcome you to our home."

Dave shook his hand and said, "Thanks. I'm Dave, Dave Strider, and this is my little sis Rose LaLonde. Been awhile since we had one of those, huh Rosie?"

"One 'a what?" Gamzee cut in. He had a large goofy smile on his face, and he was staring off at the door.

"Home!" Rose chirped. Everyone turned to look at her, and she beamed up a large smile right back at them.

"Yeah. A home. Don't think we ever really had one, anyway." Dave said, trying to keep up his I-don't-really-give-a-shit charade. Gamzee maneuvered his way around his brother to put an arm over Dave's shoulder. Behind his shades, Dave's eyes widened.

"Don't worry, bro," Gamzee said with a larger smile. "We got you covered there. As of today, this place is the motherfucking Makara-Strider-LaLonde house!"


	2. Room to Breathe

The front door opened, letting cold, humid air fly into the house, and the large man who had previously greeted Dave stepped in. He set Rose and Dave's bags down and looked at the kids with a huge smile.

"Already getting along, huh? That's great. Oh, boys, really? The makeup?" He frowned at his sons, eyebrows furrowing a little. "Well, oh well. Dave, right? You can call me Mr. Makara, Pops, anything you'd like, really. Let's get you two to your room, eh?" He picked up the bags again and started for upstairs.

"Pops' pretty fucking great, bro. All supportive and shit. You'll love him," Gamzee whispered as they all followed Mr. Makara. "See that scar? Motherfucker doesn't talk about it for some reason. I figure he'll talk about it when he's all up and ready."

Dave lightly touched Rose's head as they went up the stairs, making sure she didn't fall. _That is a pretty weird scar I guess. Probably war or something. _As they ascended the staircase, Dave took notice of how each person walked. It was one of the things he learned to do- notice small things and get information out of it. Mr. Makara, for example, had a noticeable limp that made him seem older than he looked. Kurloz glided like a ghost floating above the ground with barely any bounce to his step. _Guy must've gone to finishing school or some shit. Damn. _Finally Dave looked behind him to see Gamzee pulling himself along, a goofy smile plastered onto his face. He lazily pulled on leg forward after the other.

Finally they reached the top of the never-ending staircase of doom and destruction (as named by Dave), and faced a three-way junction. All three hallways had white carpeting and walls, but down each one the doors were coloured. To the right, all the doors were a light green with silver doorknobs, and the walls were decorated with girlish flowers and paintings. To the left, the doors were a bright cherry red, and the doorknobs were painted black. The walls were completely bare, and it looked like there were some dents in it further down. Finally, straight ahead in front of Dave was a hallway with dark purple doors and golden knobs, matching the overall theme of the house. The doors here were decorated to a degree- one with clownish smiley faces and the other with skull and crossbones.

_There is no fucking way I am letting Rosie down there. _

"So do you kids wanna stay in the same room or do you want separate ones? We have enough if you two want your own rooms, no problemo!" Mr. Makara said loudly.

Before Dave could say anything, Rose chirped up with, "I'm a big girl! I'm a big big girl, right Dave? Big girls have their own rooms!" She started hopping up and down excitedly and smiled up at Mr. Makara.

"Welp, that settles that! C'mon you two. Boys, why don't you let these two settle in for a bit?" At their dad's request, Kurloz and Gamzee started down the hallway in front of them, while Dave and Rose were led down the green-doored hall.

Two doors down and they stopped. Mr. Makara put down Rose's bags and looked at her with a big smile. After she smiled back, he opened the door dramatically and flicked on the light. The room was large for a child to be staying in, with a purple princess bed in the corner next to a window with pink curtains. The carpet was a clean white, and it looked like it would be overly soft. Across from the bed sat a small vanity, just tall enough for a girl Rose's size to use comfortably, and a full-body mirror with a purple trim. The whole room was very pastel and open. _Wow it's like they already knew her before we got here._

Rose let out a happy shriek and ran into the room. She jumped onto the bed and rolled around a little, smelling the fluffy pillows. Then she peaked behind the curtains and ran back to Dave.

"Daaave! Look look!" She poked him a few times until he stepped into the room, nodded, and patted her head. She ran over to Mr. Makara and hugged his leg tightly.

"So you like it kid?" He asked with a laugh.

"Yes yes yes yes yes yes!"

"Rosie, what do we say…?" Dave said in his best big-bro voice.

"Thaaaaank youuuuu Papa!" She then ran back to the bed and started messing with the pillows. Mr. Makara brought in her two bags and placed them next to her bed before stepping out into the hall and closing the door part way.

"C'mon Dave, I'll show you your room next," he said, and headed further down the hall. It was only a few doors down until he stopped again.

"Sorry this one isn't as…prepared as your sisters. It used to be our music room, but we tried to convert it into a suitable bedroom…" He slowly opened the door, and Dave held in a gasp.

_No. Fucking. Way._

The room was pretty plain itself with a beige carpet and gray curtains. The walls were off-white and there was an old fan in the center of the ceiling. A red bed was shoved into a corner and there was a plain wooden desk/dresser duo across from it. Dave didn't care much about any of that, though. What had caught his eye was the small recording studio that branched off from the main room. From what he could see, it was filled with guitars and a keyboard and, yes, YES, turntables! A mic was set up in the corner and looked like it had some heavy-duty recording capabilities. Dave burst out into a smile so big his cheeks hurt.

"So I take it you don't mind the mess?" Mr. Makara asked with a loud laugh.

"Only if I can use this stuff," Dave said. "It's like a dream come true. Man, this place is like a mini heaven on Earth!"

"It's all yours, kid. I'm going to see if we can't get dinner going, ok? Be sure to wash up. There's a bathroom next to your sister's room." As the man was leaving, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Oh, and Dave?"

"Yeah?"

"Keep Rose out of the boy's rooms."


	3. Fancy Feast

A loud bell ringing distracted Dave from his work at the turntables. He had spent the last 2 hours fiddling with and fussing over his new beauty, and was finally getting familiar with it. He stepped out of his room and looked down the hall to the 3-way junction, where a tall man in a dark blue suit and large bell was standing. He rang it once more and turned to go down the steps. _Is that a fucking butler? Who even has butlers anymore? Whatever, food time._

Dave went to Rose's door and knocked lightly before stepping in. He found her with one of her "Learn to Read!" books. The one she was holding had little squids and fish all over the cover. He went over to her and tapped her shoulder before walking back towards the door. She jumped up and trotted after him. Dave led her to the room next to hers, which was a large tiled bathroom. The sink, bathtub, and toilet were a pearly white, and the whole room was themed around sea life. The shower curtains had little fish on them, the towels had a bunch of starfish, and a small rug next to the sink had dolphins. Dave lifted Rose up high enough to reach the sink, even though there was a small blue step stool underneath it, and turned on the water.

"Time to wash-up waaaash-up wash wash wash!" He sang. No one else knew that he did this for his sister. Rose always had a hard time doing things regularly, often forgetting to put socks on or to put away her toys, so Dave started making songs for her to sing while doing them. It helped, so he tried to encourage it whenever possible.

"Clean-up wash-up!" Rose sang as she rubbed her soapy hands under the water. When she was done, Dave helped her dry them and congratulated her on doing a "Grade-A job." He quickly washed his own hands and headed towards the stairs.

"Ow! BRO! Hey calm the motherfuck down man! Sh-shit!" A loud crash followed Gamzee's voice from down the hallway with purple doors. Dave looked down the hall cautiously and saw Gamzee run out of his room, followed by Kurloz. Kurloz didn't have his makeup on anymore, but his brother had kept his on.

"Gamzee Makara, give me back my CDs!" Kurloz said in a whispery shout. His voice sounded almost ghost like, and it sent a shiver down Dave's back.

"Awwwww c'mon bro, you can't be all up and hogging that wicked ass music!" Gamzee whined.

"Gamzee, please. Those are signed, remember? If you really _must_ hear the songs, use your computer!" Kurloz grabbed a CD case from Gamzee's hand went down the hall to the room with skulls on the door. Gamzee stared after his brother for a moment before bursting out in loud laughter. He turned back towards the stairs and caught sight of Dave and Rose. As he reached them, he patted Rose's head clumsily and smiled at Dave.

"Bro doesn't like to share his motherfucking CDs man. Cobain's voice is too fucking great to keep all tucked away like that if you motherfucking ask me though," he said with a shrug. Then he turned to Rose and asked, "Heeeeey sis. How you liking your new room? S'all nice and pink and shit?"

"Dude, language. She's like six." Dave said in irritation. Before Gamzee could say anything, Rose wrinkled her nose and whined.

"You smell funny. Like daddy did. Does that mean you're bad? Mommy said it made him bad."

Dave froze at her words. _Oh shit. Rose, now is not the time to bring this up._ He silently pleaded her to stop talking, and hoped Gamzee would just drop it, but neither of these things happened.

"Your daddy smelled all weird like me, huh? Nah sis, it don't mean I'm bad. Don't mean anyone's bad. Just means they need to chill out and relax for a bit. Does me smellin' all funny bug you?"

Rose shook her head and smiled. She hugged him as best as she could, and Gamzee patted her head. He spaced out for a second, looking down the stairs like they had the answer to the universe, but snapped back and turned his back to Rose. He crouched down in a position that said, "hop on my back and let's go for a ride!" Dave often gave his sister piggy back rides, but he didn't feel comfortable with a random stoner giving her one down a flight of stairs. Rose, however, had no worries about it and hopped on enthusiastically. Gamzee stood up and bounced her a little, then started down the stairs, telling some story about flying bulls and goats in the sea. Rose giggled and asked questions all the way down, and Dave followed behind, ready to catch her if she fell.

The trip down the stairs was, surprisingly, successful. Gamzee turned towards the kitchen and nudged a door open with his foot. It took him a second, but eventually he got the door open enough to weasel himself and Rose through. Dave pushed the door open as he entered and took in the sight. It was a dining room, and a damned big on at that. A long wooden table with a red tablecloth sat in the middle. It had enough chairs to hold 30 people, and candles were lined down the middle. Gamzee didn't stop at the table like Dave expected, but instead kept going to a door on the far side of the room. Dave opened the door this time, holding it for the weirdo holding his sister.

This room was much smaller. A table that could seat maybe 6 people was off to the left. The floor was black and white tile, and the walls had lavender wallpaper on them. Five places were set, two pairs across each other and one at the head of the table. Gamzee went to a chair on the far side of the table and let Rose down. The held the chair out for her and helped her wiggle up onto it. _That's my job. It's always been my job… _Dave went around the table to sit next to Rose, and Gamzee plopped down across from him. Soon Kurloz came in and carefully sat next to his brother, not looking at him. There was silence for a minute before Kurloz spoke up.

"Gamzee, did you do your homework yet?"

"Uuuuh…I did my English stuff." Gamzee mumbled.

Kurloz sighed. "Really, Gamzee. How are you going to get anywhere if you don't do your homework? You can't fail the year. It's unacceptable-"

"Broooo calm down. I'll do the rest of that shi- stuff after dinner, a'ight? S'allll good." Gamzee said, looking away from him brother. It looked almost as if he had stopped breathing.

"…Fine. But you must have it done for tomorrow."

Mr. Makara burst through the door then. Gamzee took one look at his dad and started laughing, while Kurloz looked horrified. Rose squeaked and started laughing with Gamzee. Dave just stared at the grown man in the full-on clown suit.

"Father, what on _Earth_ are you wearing?!" Kurloz gasped out.

"Aw relax son! Just showing our new family members how to have a good time!" Mr. Makara squeezed the round red nose he was wearing and it let out a tiny honk. Gamzee fell out of his seat and erupted into another wave of laughter.

"P-pops! Do that motherfucking dance man!" Gamzee gasped out between laughs.

"Dance? You mean…_this dance?" _ He started shaking his butt around and flailing his arms, spinning in circles. Rose was laughing so hard she was silent and tears were running down her cheeks, and Kurloz slammed his head into the table with a groan. Dave couldn't help but to join in the laughter, covering his mouth and grabbing his stomach. This was the most he'd enjoyed himself in over a year, and he was counting each second as precious time. Finally things calmed down enough for Kurloz to speak again.

"Please, father! Go change!" A slight blush crossed his cheeks, and his father decided to agree. He left to go change, but not before honking his nose again and winking at Rose.

"I am so sorry for him…He is so immature sometimes." Kurloz grumbled.

"Don't worry about it man. It was all harmless fun. Not like he brought in a live bear to do tricks or anything." Dave said.

"Nah bro, the bear died a few years ago." Gamzee said. Dave couldn't tell if he was joking or not, and decided to leave it. He really didn't want to know.

A few minutes later, Mr. Makara returned. He took his seat just in time for the weird butler to come in with plates of food. He silently placed each plate down and nodded his head. He then looked at Mr. Makara and tilted his head in silent question.

"Ah, right, this is Equius. His family has worked with us for, oh, how long was it?"

" Eighty-seven years, sir." Equius replied seriously.

"He's great, really. Equius, do you want to eat with us today? We have an extra seat." The large man looked at his butler friend in hope.

"Oh, no sir, I couldn't. But thank you for the invitation. Please enjoy your meal." Equius nodded towards the kids and left quickly.

"Pops he never stays to get his chow on with us. Why do ya always ask the guy?" Gamzee asked as he picked up his fork.

"Because he is always welcome. Now eat your food."

Dave looked down at his plate. On it was some sort of grilled fish. There was also a small salad and a roll. Each piece of the dinner was pretty large, more than he was used to eating, and he poked at it a little. He looked around at Kurloz, hoping he could just copy whatever he was doing and seem like he knew how to eat all rich-kid fancy. That was no help, however, because Kurloz was quietly cutting his fish into tiny pieces. Gamzee wasn't much help either since he was pretty much just stabbing the fish and eating whatever managed to cling to the fork. Looking at the only adult at the table gave Dave a wave of relief. He wasn't using any certain forks or spoons or anything. In fact, he was eating like Dave's mom ate. He looked over at Rose and figured he'd need to cut her food for her. She had much smaller servings, but it still needed to be cut up for her to be able to eat it. He grabbed her plate and got to work.

When he finished cutting everything up for Rose, he slid her plate back into place and stared at his own dinner. _Ok you got this. Its just fish. No problem. _As he cut his own food, he tried to ignore the self-consciousness creeping up on him. _Come on Dave, you are the best fish cutter ever. You eat with such grace that fucking King Henry is jealous. Obama couldn't eat as gracefully as you. You are the fish-eating master. _He looked up to see Gamzee staring at him with a large smile. _Shit shit shit shit what did I do wrong I haven't even eaten it yet!_

"Aw sorry bro, just couldn't help but notice how you were all sweet 'n shit, cuttin' up your sis' food and all."

_Oh thank god._ "Uh, yeah. No problem. Food's gotta get cut somehow." He forked a cut piece of fish and put it into his mouth, hoping he looked cooler than he felt. The flavour almost made him drop his fork. _It's just like- no, not gonna think about that._

Dave chewed the piece and quickly plopped another into his mouth. He forced himself to keep it slow, controlled, so he could enjoy each piece and not look like some starving foster kid. It's not like he had never eaten before. The rest of the meal was silent, each person lost in their own thoughts. Once he was almost finished, he looked around the table. Gamzee hadn't touched his salad at all, and Kurloz had pushed the roll to the edge of his plate. Their father had eaten everything on his plate, and Rose had eaten most of everything. _Good girl._ Dave ate the last bit of his salad, feeling full and warm.

"OW! Fuck, Kurbro!" Gamzee jumped up, looking pretty mad.

"I didn't do anything," Kurloz said with a smirk.

"BOYS. Gamzee, watch your language at the table. Kurloz, stop kicking your brother." Mr. Makara gave a stern look at his two boys. "Now the, who wants dessert? We have cheesecake, or maybe ice cream…?" He looked at Rose and crossed his eyes.

"Dave! Can we have ice cream?"

"I don't know, Rosie. You don't seem to be asking very nicely…"

"Can we have ice cream _pleeeeeeeeease?_"

"Sure. But not a lot, ok? We don't want any nightmares tonight, do we?"

Rose shivered at the thought of scary dreams haunting her all night and shook her head. Dave got up and kissed her head gently.

"Hey bro, I wanna show you my wicked xbox. It's motherfuu- uuuuuuuuuuh. It's really awesome." Gamzee said, nudging Dave's arm. _He gets and A for effort at least._ Dave followed Gamzee back to the stairs, leaving Rose with Mr. Makara and Kurloz.

A/N: Wow ok so it took me a while to update. Sorry about that. I'll try to update more frequently, with longer chapters. Whoo! Longer chapters! Those are always fun, right? A few more chapters and I'll switch to Gamzee's POV for a bit.

**3 ~Harmony**


	4. Land of Music and Icing

"Black Ops or Halo man?" Dave asked as he shuffled through Gamzee's large collection of games. Gamzee was currently sprawled out on a couch in the far corner of his room, staring at the ceiling.

"Uhhhh…whichever one is on top I guess," he replied.

Dave coughed as he picked up Call of Duty: Black Ops and put it into the Xbox. Gamzee's room was, well, trashy, especially for someone with so much money. There wasn't a bed in the room. Instead, there was a tattered couch with some pillows thrown on it. The only light in the room came from a dusty lamp on an old, worn down wooden desk and from a lame excuse for a television. _This giant box T.V. is from like 2001. What the hell? _It was set up across from the couch, and had an Xbox and a VHS player hooked up to it. There was a partially closed closet, which seemed to only contain formalwear, and a box of various circus equipment. Although Dave didn't have the chance to look through the box, he could see multiple juggling clubs, hoola hoops, a baton, and half of a unicycle sticking out of it. Somewhere a CD player was blasting Pink Floyd. A thin layer of smoke filled the room, and it made it hard to see clearly.

"Can you open a window? This smoke is pretty bad," Dave said hesitantly. Normally he wouldn't have said anything, but it was getting hard for him to breathe.

"Oh shit, yeah bro. Hold up." Gamzee reached over to part the thick purple curtains next to the couch and opened the window behind them. He tried his best to move some of the smoke outside before flopping back onto the couch. Dave grabbed two controllers and sat on the arm of the couch. The two boys played against each other, an even match, for almost an hour.

The music switched to loud rap music, and Dave couldn't help but ask Gamzee what they were listening to.

"It's motherfuckin ICP," Gamzee said casually as he died in game.

"Those crazy clowns that rap about magnets?"

"Ha! Yeah," Gamzee mumbled. "But they got a message. A real message man…."

"Is their message 'kill everyone and run from pelicans'? Dude those guys get so much hate. All they do is rap about how underground and awesome they are."

"Broooooo no! Nah I gotta motherfuckin show you what I mean," Gamzee laughed out as he dropped his controller and reached behind the couch. Dave heard CD cases fall, followed by a string of swears, and then finally the whirring of a CD player going through songs. After a few clicks, a new song started up.

"Now listen to this shit bro."

Dave shrugged and complied. He sat and listened to the two rappers for three minutes until the song ended, and by the end of it he was almost crying from holding in his laughter. It was just so…_bad._ He had never heard anything like it, that was for sure. _These guys definitely belong in their circus! It sounds like two high school dropouts in their garage, trying to make some quick cash. People actually listen to this? _

"So what do you think?" Gamzee asked with a large smile. His eyes looked hopeful, and the smile he was wearing now seemed to have more energy in it than before. Dave couldn't bring himself to hurt the poor guy's feelings.

"It's…its pretty good man. I'm surprised." _Surprised you actually enjoy it._

"Seriously? Here, take this," Gamzee said as he handed Dave a CD. "It's their first motherfucking album. I got two copies anyway."

"Uh…thanks. I'll give it a listen later ton-"

Before Dave could finish his sentence, a loud crash came from downstairs. _Rose!_ Dave jumped up and threw open the door. He ran down the hall and started taking the stairs two at a time.

"Fuck! Careful on those stairs-" As he turned to look up at Gamzee, Dave's foot slipped and he fell on his butt. He started sliding down the carpeted stairs, trying to slow himself but winding up only flipping himself upside down. He was heading headfirst down the stairs, the bottom drawing near. THUMP THUMP THUMP! His head bumped each step, and it felt like his neck would snap with each one. The shades he had kept on flew off, and his shirt was all but over his head by now. Just as he was about to hit the bottom, he felt something around his wrist yank him up and a hand on his shoulder steady him. Dave quickly fixed his shirt and grabbed the railing.

"I warned you about the motherfucking stairs bro," Gamzee laughed out as he handed Dave his sunglasses. They went down the next few steps carefully and made their way to the kitchen.

_What the fuck happened in here?!_

Dave stepped into a room covered in melting chocolate ice cream. The table was upside down, there were dishes everywhere, and Rose and Mr. Makara were in the corner laughing themselves sick. At the head of the table, Kurloz was tied to a chair with what looked like a napkin shoved into his mouth. His hair had whipped cream and sprinkles in it, and there was a smiley face drawn onto him with pink icing.

He had the look of a man who just could not give a single more fuck.

"Dave! Gamzee! Care to join us?" Mr. Makara said with a mischievous smile.

"Davey look! We caught him!" Rose ran up to Dave, covered in icing and sprinkles herself, and beamed a smile up at him. "And we made a song too!"

Gamzee went over to Kurloz with an oddly serious expression on his face. He gently pulled the napkin out of his brother's mouth and started to untie him. The two whispered to each other as Dave tried to convince Rose to get washed up. Mr. Makara left the room chuckling to himself.

"Hey girlie, what happened in here anyway?" Dave asked his sister as he tried to wipe icing off her.

"LoLo was being a meanie," She pouted. "So we locked him up!" Dave sighed and started to lead her out of the kitchen.

"I will take Miss LaLonde from here, Mister Strider," Equius promised. He took Rose's hand and led her out of the kitchen. Dave turned to the two brothers in time to see Gamzee wince and rub his jaw and Kurloz march out. As he passed walked by, Dave could have sworn he heard a quiet "fucker…."

** A/N: OK I'M SORRY IT TOOK ME SO LONG TO UPDATE. I was in New York for about a month, and this chapter has been giving me SO much trouble. However, I promised a friend I'd update tonight, so I forced something out, I apologize for its…oddness? I have the next three chapters planned out, so hopefully I can get them up quickly! ~Harmony**


	5. Butler's Bedtime

A/N: YOOOOOOOOOO LOOK WHO UPDATED! Ok just something that you should prooooobably know before you read the rest of the fic. There are gonna be 3 (/4) stories in this. Dave's and Gamzee's are gonna be the two main ones, but Equius and Kurloz are also gonna have little stories here and there! Don't expect too much of them though, ok? Ok. Well I decided that you might as well see what I mean, and _I_ might as well get some other stuff started, so here ya go! Equius POV for this chapter. It'll be Gamzee's for the next few though.

Equius sighed as he loosened the dark blue tie around his neck. These two new children were going to be a handful, he could tell. He had spent almost and entire hour cleaning up Miss LaLonde after her ice cream attack on young master Kurloz. Afterwards, he got to work cleaning the breakfast room of its sugary mess. It was nearly 9pm now, and he had put Miss LaLonde to bed and set the two young masters' clothes out for school tomorrow. He knew that he had to start on registering Mister Strider and Miss LaLonde for school, but he was just so…_tired_. He really didn't mind his job- in fact he rather enjoyed it. Something about today, though, just drained him of energy. He looked around his room (which Mister Makara was kind enough to allow Equius to stay in) and relaxed a little. This was, as far as he was concerned, home. He had lived in this household his entire life. When his father Aurthour passed, Equius took over as the Head of Staff.

Equius pulled out the simple wooden chair next to his desk and switched on the lamp. His small, cluttered room was illuminated by yellow light. His bed was small and long, taking up most of the left wall. A pile of wires, gears, motherboards, and batteries was shoved under his desk. There used to be bins to keep everything organized, but Equius quickly learned that he was not meant for personal organization. He sighed once more and unbuttoned his suit.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in," He said after he cleared his throat.

A short woman in a long gray dress opened his door and took a small step inside. Her long, dark brown hair was messy, and her eyes looked droopy. She had rust coloured tights on that contrasted her pale skin. She yawned and said nothing.

"Ah, Aradia. It is time for your shift. Please attend to the matter of Mister Strider and Miss LaLonde's future schooling as soon as possible."

"Okay." Her dull, monotone voice had a chill to it that Equius could never get quite used to. She had started working in the household almost seven years ago, but her eerie aura still put him on edge.

She turned and left quietly, the only sound being the soft _swish swish_ of her dress as she walked. Equius took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He was _just. so. tired._ It was still early, but his workday was over and he _needed_ to sleep. Just as he was about to get into bed, a soft buzz on his desk caught his attention. Equius turned and picked up his phone, checking the text.

':33 hey equius!'

A soft smile found it's way onto his face. Ah, Nepeta. She was really his best friend, even if he did used to work for her. Her childish view on the world and his stern, mature view worked surprisingly well together. He climbed into his bed, phone still in hand, and replied.

'D- Hello, Nepeta. How has your day been?'

He hit send and closed his eyes. He really hoped he didn't fall asleep during their conversation, but that seemed to be a thing that was happening more and more frequently. Not a minute later his phone buzzed in his hand.

':33 it was purretty good. I got some great news :3'

Now THAT caught his attention. "News" from Nepeta was always something big. He did his best to type quickly, though his large fingers slowed him down considerably.

'D- News?'

':33 yeah! It's really amazing!'

'D- Tell me.'

':33 there's going to be a little Nepeta! Meulin is really excited to have a sister :3'

Oh. Well. Yes, that was certainly big news. Equius furrowed his brows in concern. Nepeta already had three kids. Was it safe for her to have another? She had a small frame, and her pregnancy with Meulin was almost the end for her.

'D- Nepeta. Are you sure you will be okay?'

':33 karkitty said the same thing! I already talked with the doctor, don't worry :3 how are the boys doing?'

'D- Don't change the subject. Are you positive your health is not at risk?'

'33: Equius. I. Am. Fine. Now shush! How are the boyssss?'

'D- …They are doing well. They appear to be getting along more.'

':33 whew. It's impurrtant fur brothers to get along!'

Equius yawned and shook his head quickly. He didn't know how much longer he could stay awake, but he rarely had time to talk with Nepeta anymore….

'D- Yes it is. Will Meulin be attending school tomorrow?'

':33 of course silly! It's the start of the semester, she can't miss that!'

'D- Good. Would you like me to prepare lunch for her?'

':33 no, thanks. I can do ittttt! I _am _her mom you know :p'

'D- Very well.'

Another knock on his door. Equius looked up to see Kurloz standing patently in the open doorway.

"Ah, young master Kurloz. How may I assist you?"

No reply. Kurloz stared at Equius. He did not blink. He did not move.

Just stared.

Heavy silence rang in Equius' ears. This was not the first time young master Kurloz had done this, and Equius knew what it was that he wanted. Equius stood carefully and made his way to his desk. He opened the drawer on his desk and pulled out a pill bottle. He carefully opened the lid, doing his best not to accidentally crack it, and poured two small white pills into his hand. He then walked to over to Kurloz and offered the pills.

"Your medication. Please take the other one when you wake up."

Kurloz nodded, plucked the two pills out of his butler's hand, and walked away. Equius dragged himself back to his bed and picked up his phone once more.

':33 I am supurr sleepy, so I'll talk to you later, ok?'

'D- I am also tired. Sleep well, Nepeta.'

':33 please take care of the boys equius'

'D- I always do. Now sleep.'

'33: fiiiiiiiiiiine'

With that, Equius allowed himself to give in to his drooping eyelids and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

A/N: PLEASE DON'T HATE ME OMG I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO UPDATE. But c'mon I switched it up a bit. I gotta get points for that, right? Also, I wasn't sure if "young master" should be capitalized or not. If anybody knows, please tell me :3 Thank you~!


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